"You have got to be shitting me." Timber said, hand instinctively reaching behind him for his rifle.
Raising her hands in a defensive manner Winter stepped forward. "Easy, easy I know we didn't part on the best of terms but I assure you I will be professional if you can work with me."
"You sent someone to find me who didn't even know my last fucking name, and you expect me to think this will go any better than before?!" Timber shouts, glaring between Alex and Winter.
"Telling her your last name wouldn't have changed anything, she has never met you nor did she know you even existed until yesterday."
"And yet she knew his full name…" Timber muttered.
Lowering her hands Winter sighed. "You don't have to like me but if you want to succeed in this program you'll tolerate my presence as your superior."
"I feel like I'm missing something here. How do you of all people know General Schnee?" Augustus asked confused, looking at the man.
"She took a position she wasn't ready for and half assed her job on top of that." Timber spat out.
"Whoa, what's he talking about?" Alex said, turning her attention to Winter. "What did you do?"
"I'll tell you later this is not the time for this, I don't think we want to attract any Grimm do we?"
"Considering the fact that I was doing that before the flight over here, I second that notion." Augustus says adjusting his equipment.
"Not like I have a problem with anything running around here." Timber says, slowly moving the hand behind his back up the back of his hoodie.
"Good, shall I take you to your rooms or would like a tour?" Winter said motioning for them to follow her.
"Personally, I'd like to know my way around the place. If I am to take a semi-permanent post here that is." Augustus said, being the first to follow.
"I can skip the tour." Timber mutters. "If you want to keep secrets, I can go back to keeping to myself."
Guiding the group through the back entrance, Winter sighed. "No one is keeping secrets, they will be informed later, you three have had a long flight and you need some rest."
"Yeah, informed later, and how long would you have let her wander the fuckin' tundra before you thought she should be informed if she didn't get lucky?"
"As long as she deemed necessary."
"Still half-assing things... yay."
"I am fully confident in her capabilities as am I with yours and Mr. Belmondos, so I would appreciate if you didn't doubt mine any more than you already have."
"Shouldn't have given me a reason to doubt you in the first place then."
Stopping in her tracks the others quickly halted and waited as Winter shook quietly. Turning around she looked at Timber with sadness in her eyes. "You're not the only one who suffered and mourned, I apologized then and I'll do it now, one last time."
Putting her hands on his shoulders she looked him in the eyes. "I am sorry for the mistake I made, I wanted you here because you had potential and I want to see you on the right track again, I want to see you happy again."
"I didn't ask for nor do I want your pity party, can you get off of me... please." Timber said through gritted teeth.
Taking her hands off of him she turned back around and continued walking as Alex and Augustus stood there confused.
"Well this'll be a fun experience." Augustus muttered under his breath.
"I don't think fun is the appropriate term." Alex said lightly smacking his shoulder.
The three didn't notice Winter had stopped walking and was currently staring at them from down the hall. "I've dealt with people that have worse grudges than him. I think fun is slightly appropriate."
"Ah, yes serious personal trauma is a fun time." Alex said sarcastically while glaring at Augustus.
"Again I've dealt with people who've had worse grudges than him. In case you haven't gathered our world isn't exactly fair." Augustus retorts, reciprocating the glare.
"You two aren't as quiet as you think… fucking jackass." Timber said, not even bothering to look at them.
"Ahem, can you three do this after you get settled?" They all turned in unison to look at a slightly miffed Winter. "Also I need to see the three of you after you get settled to run you through the things you will be doing."
Glancing at the other two Alex shrugged and started walking, the other two started following her. The walk to catch up to Winter was fairly short but Augustus found himself on the receiving end of a cold glare from Timber the entire time.
Reaching Winter the trio waited for her to start walking again before following, turning into another hallway they came across a room that was sparsely decorated. "Mr. Belmondo, Mr. Harou all the rooms are the same so wherever you choose doesn't really matter."
"Where would we meet up for missions?" Augustus asked, focusing on General Schnee.
"There's a meeting room on the first floor next to the library, it's difficult to miss."
Looking at the two Winter coughed awkwardly. "So who's taking this room?"
"Well if it's okay I would enjoy whatever room is closest to that library you mentioned." Augustus said, glancing at Timber who was still giving him a dirty look.
"Doesn't matter to me."
"Well I would oblige you of that wish but unfortunately that is mine and Alex's room." Winter cut in.
"Fine by me; I'd still prefer whichever is the closest, erm second closest, to the meeting room so I can get whatever briefing we'd be receiving for the day." Augustus says, acknowledging her denial.
"Well close is kind of a stretch considering you have to go down a staircase to get to the library and the meeting room." Alex said scratching the back of her head. "For example our bedroom is like twenty rooms away from yours so."
"And how many rooms are between yours and the farthest room away from it?" Timber asked.
"If that's your way of asking for a room in a different part of the house you could just ask you know." Alex answered with a smile.
"Just take what you can get at this point." Timber muttered.
"Well the furthest room away is actually off of the kitchen, it was here long before any of the additions were added on so it's kind of an old room style wise, is that fine?" She asked looking at Timber.
"I've been sleeping in a tent for the past couple years, I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Good then it's settled. Augustus will take this room; Timber will take the room that's from like two hundred years ago and I will continue to stay with Winter. Done and done."
"Then it's settled." Augustus said, crossing his arm.
"Alright here." Winter pulled two scrolls out of her pocket and handed one to each of them minus Alex. "These will allow you to get in and out of the mansion, your rooms, and a few other places. Do not lose them."
Motioning for Alex to follow her Winter said one last thing to the two standing by Augustus's room. "You will get a message in a bit for a meeting. I suggest you show up on time."
"I'll be there, doing bounties and hunting missions for years gets you into a habit." Augustus says, observing the device in his hands.
"I'll consider it." Timber mumbled, pocketing the device.
"Whelp I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to get some rest before they put us through the wringer." Augustus says, waving off Timber before retreating to his room.
Timber took a few steps before stopping realizing he had no idea where he was supposed to go. 'Where the fuck is the kitchen?'
"I just realized we never told him where the kitchen was." Alex said to Winter while she was going through paperwork.
Without looking up Winter answered her in a monotone voice. "The black gown dear."
Standing up from the bed Alex rolled her eyes and made her way over to Winter. "So I was thinking that as a fashion statement I would cut off my leg, what do you think?"
"That's nice dear."
Slapping her hands on the desk her wife is at, Winter jumped and looked at Alex like she was crazy. "May I help you?"
"Yes actually I thought you said you wouldn't work while you are here."
"I know but I don't trust my subordinates to run things in my absence, and besides it's just some forms."
Sighing loudly Alex stepped towards the door. "You know what, enjoy your forms I'm going to go show Timber where his room is I guess just come down when you want to have this meeting."
"That's fine dear." Winter replied without looking up.
'I have not missed this aesthetic.' Timber thought to himself as he walked through the almost entirely white hall.
Making it to the staircase to the lower floor he paused as he heard footsteps behind him, turning around just as Alex came into view. "Forget something?"
"I was actually looking for you, did you find your room yet?" She asked walking up next to him.
"Why would I be out here if I did?"
"Maybe you decided to go for a stroll, with how big this place is you could certainly do that."
Stepping past him she started to make her way down the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."
"Feel like that should have been done earlier." He mumbled as he started to follow.
"I agree but Winter is stuck in her work again and she wanted to rush off. At least your room will have wonderful smells because of its proximity to the kitchen." Alex said as they made it to the living room.
"Have mercy on those kids."
"Uh, what kids? There are no kids here." Alex asked confusedly.
"Huh? Oh, just thinking out loud." Timber replied offhandedly.
"Oh okay, well are you okay with taking this room? There are better options."
"Yeah it'll be fine."
Reaching the kitchen she pointed at a doorway that was clearly older than the rest of the house. "It's through there, it should still have furnishings and everything else, but if you need anything or the room is missing some things let me or Winter know alright?"
"If I need something I'll let you know."
"Good to hear, well I'm going to go to the library and Winter will message all of us when she's ready, whenever that is."
"Can't wait." Timber said sarcastically.
Sticking her thumbs up as she backed out of the kitchen she decided she'd leave Timber to his own devices. Turning around Timber opened the door to the room and stared at the old style room.
'How the hell is the tundra more colorful than this damn house?' He thought as he swung the door shut behind him, taking off his hood and letting his wolf ears relax for the first time since he arrived at the mansion.
Walking over towards and sitting down on the bed, he pulled his rifle off his back, leaned it against the wall, tossing his daggers on the nightstand, and taking his hoodie off before laying down.
'This is gonna be a shit year.'
'Augustus...what did you do? Augustus?!'
Snapping awake, Augustus rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he tried shaking away the recurring memory. No matter how many times he justified that it's what he had to do, the panicked shouts from his mother kept reopening the wound he inflicted upon his conscience seven years ago.
"I'll fix this mom...I promise. I'll find out who sent dad on that suicide mission, the one who send him on the mission that broke his mind." Augustus sighed, grabbing his equipment off the floor.
Rustling through his pack he pulled out an old leather bound book bearing his family's crest, an eastern dragon curling around Remnant's broken moon, flipping through pages of illustrations of Grimm until he stopped at a page covered in the red scribbles of a mad man with one word on the header. 'The Demented.'
"So that's what dad referred to that thing as. I wish he at least drew it up like the other Grimm before he snapped. I just need something to go off of. Damn it!" Augustus said, chucking the Belmondo Bestiary at the nearby wall.
Before he got the chance to grab the book from the floor, the device the general had given him had started to vibrate. He grabbed the Scroll and pocketed it, throwing his bag over his shoulder before heading out of his temporary room. "First floor, by the library. Time to go to work."
Stepping out into the hallway he was greeted by Alex and Winter walking towards the staircase. "Did ya nap?" She asked while Winter had her eyes glued to her scroll.
"Barely…" Augustus said, trying to mask the fatigue on his face. "Where's the other one...Timber right?"
Continuing their trek down the stairs Winter kept her eyes on the small screen while Alex and Augustus walked alongside her. "He should be already there, he's the closest."
Nodding with the answer they settled into silence as they made their way into an empty meeting room. "Well I guess he's not here?" Alex mused out loud.
"I'll send him another message if he doesn't reply to this one in five minutes Alex will go and get him, for now let's take our seats." Winter said pocketing her scroll.
Taking their seats Augustus wasted no time in asking questions. "So who are you? I mean I know who you are, but who are you? What's your true intentions?"
"You know our names by now I assume so I don't understand the question Mr. Belmondo."
"I meant like as a group. Alex clearly searched me out and, I assume, Timber for a reason." Augustus said, glancing between the two. "Until I have actual proof that you're trying to better my life I have no reason to trust you."
Winter sighed and pulled out a slip of paper and pushed it across the table towards him. "I think this will suffice."
"An application for a license with my name on it?" Augustus said, sliding the paper back to her. "Alright, I think everything is in order then. What's the job?"
"The job is anything that comes to my attention that I think the three of you can handle. I will sign this paper when you have fulfilled your yearly obligation and then and only then will you be a legitimate Huntsman."
"I think I can manage that, although...never mind it's nothing." Augustus said, mindlessly gripping the chain of his whip.
"Alex dear go wake up Mr. Harou while I continue to converse with Mr. Belmondo." Nodding at her request Alex stood up and made her way to where she left Timber earlier in the day.
Turning her attention back to Augustus she motioned for him to speak. "Feel free to speak your mind here."
"I assume you already know of my past." Augustus says, taking his chance to get a lead.
"Yes I do and I'm sorry for what you went through." She said bowing her head in sympathy. "Hopefully this program will help give you purpose again."
"I hope so...I'm trying to find the person who sent my dad on the mission that broke his sanity." Augustus said, looking behind Winter unintentionally.
"Well we can certainly help you do that but I do have to warn you to be here and to be a Huntsman you are not a killer, under no circumstance will you kill whoever this person is. Do I make myself clear?"
"Unless I absolutely have to kill, you have my word. I don't think I prefer dying before being able to finish what I set out to do." Augustus said, snapping his attention back to her.
Stepping up to the old looking door Alex rapped her knuckles against it rapidly, waiting a few seconds she received no answer. "Hello? Are you awake in there?"
"We're uh having a meeting and It'd be great if you opened your door right… about… now."
Still hearing nothing she made an executive decision and cracked open the door. Poking her head in she spotted Timber passed out cold in the bed. "Oh, well that makes some sense I guess."
Walking over to him she bent down beside the bed and gently shook him. "Hey we need to go, wake up."
"Not my day for patrol, fuck off." A clearly half asleep Timber muttered, shrugging her hand off.
"Uh no patrol a meeting instead, you have to be there. It's kind of mandatory." She said as she nudged him again.
"No?"
Staring at him with a confused expression she just sighed. "I don't think you're allowed to say no, but I don't know what to do in this situation."
Thinking for a second as a clearly agitated Timber stared at her, which she ignored she snapped her fingers. "I'll make you a deal!"
"What is it?"
"You come to this meeting and when we're done you can go right back to bed and rest and I will do my best to not let anyone bother you unless absolutely necessary."
"How long is this gonna take anyway?" He asked sitting up.
Standing up she shrugged. "It's just a debriefing and some stuff here and there about the kinds of things you'll be doing for the next year so about a half hour to an hour most likely. I mean she'll give you two about a week before she sets anything up."
"Are you sure I can't just get a summary afterwards?"
"Unfortunately no, like I said mandatory." Making her way back to the door she gave him a reassuring look. "You have my word."
"Yeah, cause that holds a lot of weight with me..." He said under his breath as he stood up and threw his hoodie back on
